A straight look at MailerLite pricing for 2026
MailerLite stays one of the best value email tools in 2026: a genuinely usable free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers, with paid plans starting around $10/mo (Growing Business) when billed annually. It stays cheap as your list grows, which is why it's still our default recommendation for solo creators and small businesses watching costs. Below is what each plan actually costs, plus five alternatives worth pricing out before you decide.
MailerLite
MailerLite is the value benchmark the others get measured against. The free plan covers 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails, and the paid Growing Business tier starts near $10/mo billed annually for that same 1,000-contact band, scaling to roughly $20/mo at 2,500 and about $35/mo at 5,000. The drag-and-drop editor and automation are clean and quick to learn. The honest catch is that the free plan and cheapest tier limit you to a single automation trigger and lighter support, so heavy senders eventually pay for the Advanced plan.
Visit MailerLite →| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MailerLite | Solo creators & small businesses on a budget | 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo | ~$10/mo (annual) | Try free |
| 2 | Beehiiv | Creators & newsletters focused on growth and paid subs | 2,500 subscribers | ~$39/mo (annual) | Try free |
| 3 | AWeber | Small-business email and classic autoresponders | 500 subscribers, 3,000 emails/mo | ~$15/mo (annual) | Try free |
| 4 | Kit (ConvertKit) | Professional creators selling digital products | 10,000 subscribers | ~$25/mo (annual) | Try free |
| 5 | Brevo (Sendinblue) | Businesses needing email plus SMS on volume pricing | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day | ~$9/mo | Try free |
| 6 | MailerLite vs. Mailchimp note | Anyone comparing against Mailchimp | 500 contacts, 1,000 emails/mo | ~$13/mo | Try free |
MailerLite
Solo creators & small businesses on a budgetMailerLite is the value benchmark the others get measured against. The free plan covers 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails, and the paid Growing Business tier starts near $10/mo billed annually for that same 1,000-contact band, scaling to roughly $20/mo at 2,500 and about $35/mo at 5,000. The drag-and-drop editor and automation are clean and quick to learn. The honest catch is that the free plan and cheapest tier limit you to a single automation trigger and lighter support, so heavy senders eventually pay for the Advanced plan.
Pros
- Cheapest capable option at almost every list size
- Free plan is genuinely usable, not a crippled trial
- Clean editor and automations that don't overwhelm beginners
Cons
- Sign-up approval can be slow and occasionally rejects affiliate-heavy sites
- Advanced automation and priority support are gated behind higher tiers
Beehiiv
Creators & newsletters focused on growth and paid subsBeehiiv is built for people whose newsletter is the business. The free plan runs to 2,500 subscribers, and the Scale plan (about $39/mo annual) adds paid subscriptions, referral programs, and an ad network that can actually pay for the tool. Growth and referral features are stronger here than in MailerLite. The trade-off is that Beehiiv is less suited to transactional or ecommerce email, and paid subscription revenue-share and premium features push the real cost up as you scale.
Pros
- Best-in-class referral and audience growth tools
- Built-in monetization: paid subs plus an ad network
- Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers with no send caps
Cons
- Weaker fit for ecommerce and transactional email
- Top features and higher subscriber tiers get pricey fast
AWeber
Small-business email and classic autorespondersAWeber has been doing small-business email since the 1990s and it shows in the reliability and the phone support. The free plan covers 500 subscribers, and the Lite/Plus plans start around $15/mo annually with unlimited-ish sends. Deliverability and human support are its strengths, which matter if email drives real revenue. The interface feels dated next to MailerLite and Beehiiv, and pricing climbs steeper at larger list sizes.
Pros
- Reliable deliverability and real phone support
- Deep autoresponder and automation history
- Free plan and generous template library
Cons
- Interface and editor feel dated in 2026
- Costs more than MailerLite once your list grows past a few thousand
Kit (ConvertKit)
Professional creators selling digital productsKit (formerly ConvertKit) is aimed at creators who sell courses, ebooks, and paid products. The free plan is generous at up to 10,000 subscribers, and paid Creator plans start around $25/mo annually and add automation, paid recommendations, and commerce tools. Its tag-and-sequence automation model is excellent for nurturing buyers. The plain-text-first editor won't please designers, and per-subscriber pricing makes it noticeably more expensive than MailerLite at scale.
Pros
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers
- Excellent tag-based automation for selling products
- Built-in commerce and paid recommendation features
Cons
- Design-focused editing is limited and text-first
- More expensive per subscriber than MailerLite
Frequently asked questions
How much does MailerLite actually cost in 2026?
The free plan covers 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. Paid Growing Business plans start around $10/mo billed annually at the 1,000-contact band, rising to roughly $20/mo at 2,500 subscribers and about $35/mo at 5,000. Pricing is per subscriber count, and monthly billing costs more than annual, so lock in yearly if you're committed.
Is the MailerLite free plan actually usable, or just a trial?
It's a real free plan, not a time-limited trial. You get up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails a month, the drag-and-drop editor, landing pages, and one automation workflow. The main limits are MailerLite branding on emails, a single automation trigger, and email support only, which is enough to launch and grow before you ever pay.
How does MailerLite pricing compare to Beehiiv and Mailchimp?
MailerLite is the cheapest of the three at almost every list size. Beehiiv's free plan is larger at 2,500 subscribers but its paid Scale plan starts near $39/mo and targets monetization rather than low cost. Mailchimp's free plan is now just 500 contacts and its paid tiers climb faster, so MailerLite wins on pure value.
Can I migrate my list to MailerLite from another tool?
Yes. You can import subscribers via CSV or through native integrations, and MailerLite's team offers free migration help on paid plans. The gotcha is their approval review: because they screen new accounts for spam and affiliate-heavy content, imports can be paused for verification, so start the migration a few days before you need to send.
Which tool is best if I want to sell paid subscriptions?
Beehiiv is the strongest fit for paid newsletter subscriptions, with built-in paid tiers, a referral engine, and an ad network. Kit (ConvertKit) is the better pick if you're selling digital products like courses or ebooks. MailerLite supports selling digital products and paid newsletters too, but monetization is not its core strength the way it is Beehiiv's.
Which one should you pick?
For most creators and small businesses, MailerLite gives you the most capable email tool for the money in 2026, and its free plan is enough to launch on. If your focus is newsletter growth and paid subscriptions, Beehiiv earns the switch; if you run classic small-business email with autoresponders, AWeber is the safer home. Price out your real subscriber count on two of these before committing, since the gap widens fast past 10,000 contacts.
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